| Berean Study Bible | NET Bible |
| 1How the gold has become tarnished, the pure gold has become dull! The gems of the temple lie scattered on every street corner. | 1Alas! Gold has lost its luster; pure gold loses value. Jewels are scattered on every street corner. |
| 2How the precious sons of Zion, once worth their weight in pure gold, are now esteemed as jars of clay, the work of a potter’s hands! | 2The precious sons of Zion were worth their weight in gold--Alas!--but now they are treated like broken clay pots, made by a potter. |
| 3Even jackals offer their breasts to nurse their young, but the daughter of my people has become cruel, like an ostrich in the wilderness. | 3Even the jackals nurse their young at their breast, but my people are cruel, like ostriches in the desert. |
| 4The nursing infant’s tongue clings in thirst to the roof of his mouth. Little children beg for bread, but no one gives them any. | 4The infant's tongue sticks to the roof of its mouth due to thirst; little children beg for bread, but no one gives them even a morsel. |
| 5Those who once ate delicacies are destitute in the streets; those brought up in crimson huddle in ash heaps. | 5Those who once feasted on delicacies are now starving to death in the streets. Those who grew up wearing expensive clothes are now dying amid garbage. |
| 6The punishment of the daughter of my people is greater than that of Sodom, which was overthrown in an instant without a hand turned to help her. | 6The punishment of my people exceeded that of of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment with no one to help her. |
| 7Her dignitaries were brighter than snow, whiter than milk; their bodies were more ruddy than rubies, their appearance like sapphires. | 7Her consecrated ones were brighter than snow, whiter than milk; their bodies more ruddy than corals, their hair like lapis lazuli. |
| 8But now their appearance is blacker than soot; they are not recognized in the streets. Their skin has shriveled on their bones; it has become as dry as a stick. | 8Now their appearance is darker than soot; they are not recognized in the streets. Their skin has shriveled on their bones; it is dried up, like tree bark. |
| 9Those slain by the sword are better off than those who die of hunger, who waste away, pierced with pain because the fields lack produce. | 9Those who died by the sword are better off than those who die of hunger, those who waste away, struck down from lack of food. |
| 10The hands of compassionate women have cooked their own children, who became their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people. | 10The hands of tenderhearted women cooked their own children, who became their food, when my people were destroyed. |
| 11The LORD has exhausted His wrath; He has poured out His fierce anger; He has kindled a fire in Zion, and it has consumed her foundations. | 11The LORD fully vented his wrath; he poured out his fierce anger. He started a fire in Zion; it consumed her foundations. |
| 12The kings of the earth did not believe, nor any people of the world, that an enemy or a foe could enter the gates of Jerusalem. | 12Neither the kings of the earth nor the people of the lands ever thought that enemy or foe would enter the gates of Jerusalem. |
| 13But this was for the sins of her prophets and the guilt of her priests, who shed the blood of the righteous in her midst. | 13But it happened due to the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, who poured out in her midst the blood of the righteous. |
| 14They wandered blind in the streets, defiled by this blood, so that no one dared to touch their garments. | 14They wander blindly through the streets, defiled by the blood they shed, while no one dares to touch their garments. |
| 15“Go away! Unclean!” men shouted at them. “Away, away! Do not touch us!” So they fled and wandered. Among the nations it was said, “They can stay here no longer.” | 15People cry to them, "Turn away! You are unclean! Turn away! Turn away! Don't touch us!" So they have fled and wander about; but the nations say, "They may not stay here any longer." |
| 16The presence of the LORD has scattered them; He regards them no more. The priests are shown no honor; the elders find no favor. | 16The LORD himself has scattered them; he no longer watches over them. They did not honor the priests; they did not show favor to the elders. |
| 17All the while our eyes were failing as we looked in vain for help. We watched from our towers for a nation that could not save us. | 17Our eyes continually failed us as we looked in vain for help. From our watchtowers we watched for a nation that could not rescue us. |
| 18They stalked our every step, so that we could not walk in our streets. Our end drew near, our time ran out, for our end had come! | 18Our enemies hunted us down at every step so that we could not walk about in our streets. Our end drew near, our days were numbered, for our end had come! |
| 19Those who chased us were swifter than the eagles in the sky; they pursued us over the mountains and ambushed us in the wilderness. | 19Those who pursued us were swifter than eagles in the sky. They chased us over the mountains; they ambushed us in the wilderness. |
| 20The LORD’s anointed, the breath of our life, was captured in their pits. We had said of him, “Under his shadow we will live among the nations.” | 20Our very life breath--the LORD's anointed king--was caught in their traps, of whom we thought, "Under his protection we will survive among the nations." |
| 21So rejoice and be glad, O Daughter of Edom, you who dwell in the land of Uz. Yet the cup will pass to you as well; you will get drunk and expose yourself. | 21Rejoice and be glad for now, O people of Edom, who reside in the land of Uz. But the cup of judgment will pass to you also; you will get drunk and take off your clothes. |
| 22O Daughter of Zion, your punishment is complete; He will not prolong your exile. But He will punish your iniquity, O Daughter of Edom; He will expose your sins. | 22O people of Zion, your punishment will come to an end; he will not prolong your exile. But, O people of Edom, he will punish your sin and reveal your offenses! |
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